This will be the last blog post for a while until we arrive and get settled enough to get internet connection, and have accrued enough to share in our next post.
Tonight and tomorrow will be a time of saying final goodbyes. In a lot of ways this last week and 2 months have been "removing the bandaid slowly" by prolonging the goodbyes.
With each tear that drops from saying goodbye, I think of Psalm 126
A pilgrim's Psalm.
1 When the LORD brought back the captives to [a] Zion,
we were like men who dreamed. [b]
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
3 The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
4 Restore our fortunes, [c] O LORD,
like streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy.
6 He who goes out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with him.
It will be a tearful goodbye. We do not allow the enemy to tempt us with the sorrow of separation. We will not allow the enemy to fill our hearts with bitterness at the loss. But we will turn each tear into worship to God. Sacrificing nearness to friends and family knowing with complete confidence that God has called us to do this thing.
We pray for healing for you and for us.
We pray God would turn each tear wept into a seed that is sown, to be harvested in joy!
There is the temptation to think "leaving family has to be wrong, God put family in place, leaving it seems very very wrong." but we have not misheard God's calling. We have not misunderstood.
Don't be tempted to believe we are mislead. We are following God's direction moreso than ever before in our lives.
There has been numerous confirmations and signs. If you have not seen them, and believed, you won't be convinced by me, but we have seen them, and we do believe.
The speed of our process, the partnership that has come to us, the answers to prayers, the maturation of our children, the character God has given us, the passion on our hearts, the small day to day things we never see, the lavish blessings that have been piled onto us, the relationships and people that have come along side of us, these are all confirmations. The list is huge. God is calling
And then we are reminded by Scripture:
Gen 12:
1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
God has the precedent of having called folks away from family. We become fully dependent on Him.
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pray please:
-the flight goes well, this will be my second time negotiating international flight and customs, but my first time doing it without an experienced leader
-we maintain energy and the kids behave well, travel well
-things go smoothly and we arrive at our destination
-family members can work through the pain healthily and not internalize.
-homesickness is kept at a minimum
Thank you so much for your prayers! We love to receive them!
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logistics:
-we leave SFO saturday march 17, at 7pm PST
-we arrive in LAX and transfer over to the International Gate, departing at 11:55pm PST
-we arrive 14 hours later in Brisbane, AUS
-we get on a plane to Port Moresby, PNG (3 hours I think)
-we spend the night in guest housing.
-1-2pm the next day we get on a small King Air from the Center and fly an hour into the center.
-we unload our luggage unto a truck, and drive ten minutes to our new home in PNG.
time right now:
West Coast Time: friday 4pm (GMT-8)
East Coast time: friday 7pm (GMT-5)
PNG time: Saturday 9am (GMT+10)
time difference: PNG is 18 hours ahead
